This Just In: Nintendo Doesn't Get It

[Yoshi]

There is this ridiculous ongoing series called "Ask Iwata." A recent entry saw Miyamoto and Iwata talking about New Super Mario Bros. The whole thing is somewhat frightening, but I especially "enjoyed" this part:

That's why rather than having lots of checkpoints where you can save your position, it's better to play through the easy part again.

Right. That's more pleasurable for the player. And while you're playing the parts that you're good at again, you'll get even better at the game. In the past, when arcade shooting games would keep getting more and more difficult, the "Continue" system was developed…

Insert a 100 yen coin and you can keep on playing…

That was doubtless something the arcade was happy about, as players would keep pumping in 100 yen pieces. But what it actually ended up doing is ensuring that the player would always be playing at the very limit of their abilities. I don't think it feels good to play like that.

You're right.

It might be exciting, but it doesn't feel good.

So it might be thrilling for the player, but it doesn't give them that sense that: "Hey, I'm really good at this game!"

Precisely!

All the player experiences is that feeling that: "I'm still useless at this!"

But once someone makes the assumption that always playing in a high state of nervous excitement is more fun, and they then come to discussing how the gameplay should be balanced, they'll always be trying to ramp up that excitement. But the ideal is actually to make the player feel this kind of nervous excitement in moderation while being able to enjoy playing. However, it is not very easy for us to be able to realize that all the time. So, I think replaying the levels is the correct way to enjoy an action game. That's something that I'm quite particular about.

How do you say "hippie socialist" in Japanese?

[bbobb]

I fucking hate Nintendo.

[Pineapple]

You will all continue to buy their games, so what's the point in griping about it anymore?

[Andrew]

Unless you're completionist (i.e., getting all the star coins in NSMBW), when is the last time you had to repeat any level over and over again in a Nintendo game?

edit: I'm only halfway through NSMBW and I hear some of the later levels can be a bitch. But aside from that...

[Yoshi]

Way to completely miss the point, squall.

[Andrew]

I didn't miss the point. Their way of thinking might be flawed, but it hasn't led to any practical implications that I can recall.

[Yoshi]

[Andrew]

Okay, so what are you getting at? Because I can't think of a single Nintendo game released in, say, the past five years where I ever thought "Man, this shit is hard, I really wish there were checkpoints." NSMBW is the toughest thing they have released in forever, and it has mid-level checkpoints.

[Yoshi]

[Andrew]

Okay, so what are you getting at?

I'm still waiting to hear why this is an issue in Nintendo's case.